


Morning Light

by Xero_Sky



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: AU: The Avengers never Assembled, Angst, BAMF!Sif, F/M, Heavily implied Thorki, M/M, Short, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-31
Updated: 2012-12-31
Packaged: 2017-11-23 01:37:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/616624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xero_Sky/pseuds/Xero_Sky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where Loki disappeared after falling from the Bifrost, Thor mourns the loss of his brother and closest companion.  Sif is there for him, just as she has always been there for him, but is she willing to pay the price of staying?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Morning Light

Sif knew.  She felt like she had always known.

After Loki fell, there was no sign of him, no word, not for years, and Thor, god of thunder and battle, felt that silence more keenly than any other.  The royal family of Asgard mourned their lost son, but Thor wore his sorrow on his sleeve.  Parts of the great city flooded by the terrible storms summoned by his grief, and when he could be brought to compose himself again, the night skies were still often split asunder when he dreamed of Loki’s face, his eyes, as he let go.  He was inconsolable.

Even in Asgard, however, time passed, and life went on.  Thor wore a sash of black and green across his chest, wearing Loki’s colors in his memory, and, mindful of it, he no longer indulged in the reckless pastimes of his youth.  Thor’s coronation didn’t come up again, though it became obvious to all that he had changed, matured into something more than the rash, glorious son of Odin.  There were no longer any doubts that he would be worthy of the crown when the time came.

The long, golden afternoon of Asgard stretched out before them, and, in time, in his loneliness, Thor turned to Sif.  Always friends, they grew closer mostly because there was a gap now, an absence where Loki had been in Thor’s life.  She was there, and she had always loved him, in a free and open way.   Because she had always been there, it didn’t seem like a betrayal to notice her.  He approached her without even realizing what he was doing, at first; after that, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world. 

Odin and Frigga were happy to see their son distracted from his grief.  Asgard was delighted to have a romance to gossip about instead of the tragedy that had shadowed the bright realm for so long.  Their relationship grew until it was generally believed that some season soon would see a royal wedding. 

Sif would be a fine Queen, a warrior queen, and a good match for their warrior king.  It began to seem inevitable, like the dawn after a long and troubled night.

*******

Thor kissed her, and stretched her out across his sheets, and whispered lies that he didn’t know were lies. 

“…love you so much, beautiful Sif, you’re everything…”

His hands were warm and large on her skin, his mouth scorching.  He moved over her like a wave, pressing her belly against the mattress, his hips moving relentlessly against her.  Fingers tangled in her long hair and tugged gently, coaxing her to rear back so he could kiss her mouth.  He was like fire rolling over her and inside her, and she wanted him, his power, and his perfection, and his great heart.

Her orgasm was a deep, shivering thing that made her cry out his name, and he buried his face in the back of her neck, and thrust hard, seeking to follow.

And somehow, in the middle of their tempest, she heard him with perfect clarity when he came, quietly whimpering his brother’s name into her long black hair.

_“…Loki…”_

She had built her entire life on not doubting herself.  She did not question what she’d heard, did not make excuses for it, did not try to justify it as a trick of her ears or a slip of his tongue.

Still, she might have let it go, might have decided to live with it, if she could.  She was willing to make excuses for him. Thor had been hurt beyond measure when Loki had disappeared, and no one, not a lover, not an old friend, nor a new beloved could even begin to seal that wound.  Thor loved and suffered with his whole heart, just as he did everything else in his life.  Perhaps passion had simply given his loss a voice, at a bad moment.

She knew he hadn’t the slightest idea that he’d said anything.  He wasn’t cruel enough for that. 

She understood, then, the fascination he had with her hair, long and strikingly black, so unlike that of most Aesir, but not at all unlike his brother’s.  She wondered if Thor himself had any idea.

And still, she might have let it go.

Then, panting and trapped for the moment under the warm bulk of Thor’s body, she turned her head to the side, seeking fresh air, and saw the stirring darkness across the room. 

She saw so little, just a blackness like a gathering of intent, and a faint blur like a pale face turning away from her, but she recognized it instantly.

She knew.

******

It had been no real difficulty slipping out of Thor’s bed, or even returning his sleepy kiss.  It was their not their first time together, after all, and there was no obligation to stay, or awkward promises to be made. 

It was easier after his heavy door was shut between them, sealing the golden prince away from her.

No one questioned her departure.  She was the Lady Sif, after all.   Who did not know her? 

Asgard never truly slept; all it did was slow down somewhat.  In the early light of dawn, she guided her horse through the first crowds at the market, the ones who had travelled great distances to be here. 

She kept her eyes sharp, because she knew _he_ would never be able to resist watching her go.   Aesir, Vanir, the occasional Ljósálfar and Dvergar, peasants and nobles and warriors, all these thronged among the stalls, shouting and cajoling and bickering.   It was a perfect place to hide, but he was not entirely interested in hiding.  He was there to mark the moment.

Sif finally spotted him near the gates, standing on the edge of a small crowd near a stall.  No one else seemed to have noticed him, even though there was no mistaking him. Always striking, he was dressed much as he always had been, in rich black and green, with a fur cloak over his shoulders.  The tilt of his head and his stance spoke of the arrogance of royalty and the certainty of self-possession.

Loki, prince of Chaos, God of Lies.  Thor’s other half. 

Their eyes met, and the look in his was clear and carefully, carefully blank.  He gave her the smallest of nods, acknowledging her.  She grinned at him, ruthless, and spurred her horse.

Sif did not fear Loki, nor did she fear for Thor.  Whatever happened now, however, she would not be in the midst of it.  There was no room for another between Thor and Loki; there never had been.   She loved her friend, but she didn’t burn for him, and so on this morning she rode away.  It was an act of selfish mercy, removing herself as an obstacle or an excuse between them, and maybe, by the time she came back, they would know it.

Besides, she had little patience for the quarrels and follies of men these days.  There were an almost infinite number of better things to do, and she was of a mind to find them out.  The sun was rising, and the universe was open wide before her.

She knew that, too.

**Author's Note:**

> Shorter than I usually write, and my first foray into this fandom. 
> 
> Sif usually seems like the default rebound for Thor, but I wondered what she would think about being between the two of them.


End file.
